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Rallycross Origin

Rallycross was first introduced at Lydden Hill on 4 February 1967, Lydden Hill is located between Dover and Canterbury in the United Kingdom.

There are currently two circuits in Great Britain still operating Rallycross, those being Lydden Hill and Croft.

The Motor Sports Association British Rallycross Championship is the current national series in the United Kingdom. It is recognised as an official championship by the MSA, the governing body of motorsport in Great Britain.

Rallycross is a type of speed competition, but is not a race, involving more than one automobile simultaneously and conducted on a track with a combination of sealed and unsealed surfaces and/or obstacles.

Expansion to the Netherlands

Rob Herzet discovered Rallycross during a visit to Great Britain in 1968 and immediately understood its potential for the television viewers. By that time there were nearly ten million Britons watching some of the events on television.

On the 7 June 1969 the first ever Rallycross event on the European continent was held. The track consisted of a section of concrete runway, loose sections through heathland and a hollow, about 40 metres long and 10 metres deep.

For 1971 the Nederlandse Rallycross Vereniging moved the sport to its new continental home at Valkenswaard near Eindhoven. The Eurocircuit opened on

17 April 1971 and became the first ever track in the World that was especially designed and built purely for Rallycross purposes.

Rallycross in Australia

Rallycross came to Australia in 1969, (introduced by motoring journalist Michael Browning, who had just returned from working in London) with a one off meeting at Leppington in New South Wales.

Events were held at Calder Park Raceway in Melbourne until the mid 1970’s and at the Catalina Park circuit in Katoomba in New South Wales from 1972 until the early 1980’s.

Circuits at Towac near Orange in New South Wales as well as Tailem Bend and Whyalla in South Australia were also used, but after 12 years or so the sport faded in Australia.

Peter Brock was especially successful driving for the Holden Dealer Team in a supercharged Holden Torana GTR.

The inaugural Australian Rallycross Championship was held at the Tailem Bend circuit on 24 June 1979 and was won by Larry Perkins, driving a 2 litre Volkswagen Beetle for Kruger Motors.

In 2013 motor sport enthusiast Chris Piggott, owner of Raleigh International Raceway, decided Rallycross would be an ideal form of motor sport to introduce to his circuit.

The Raceway is located midway between Brisbane and Sydney, 15 minutes from Coffs Harbour.

Chris designed and built the Raceway in 1982 and made expansions to the circuit up to 1993 when the circuit was upgraded to a 1050 metre bitumen track. The circuit was built to accommodate competition Go Karting as well as a Hire Kart business.

Chris with the help of CAMS – Manager of Track Safety – Bruce Keys, set about to design his purpose built Rallycross track.

Bruce was instrumental in providing sound advice for the implementation of Safety of competitors, knowledge of Rallycross in Australia, as well as general knowledge of motor sport in Australia.

Chris combined the existing circuit, being bitumen, and added dirt sections to make the circuit a combination of sealed sections and gravel sections which is true to the Sport of Rallycross.

Chris contacted Lydden Hill in the UK to ask information about the material and upkeep on their circuit, they were happy to help and it has made the Rallycross circuit here far more manageable with maintenance.

Raleigh Motorsports Association Inc was formed and Incorporated 8 January 2015. This is the official Motorsport Club for Rallycross and is affiliated with CAMS.

It has taken Chris just under 3 years to achieve his goal and finally on 19 July 2015 the first Rallycross test day was held at Raleigh International Raceway.

On the 23 August 2015 the first official Rallycross Come & Try event was conducted under the International Sporting Code of the FIA, the National Competition Rules of CAMS (NCR) and the Supplementary Regulations for the circuit.

Raleigh Motorsports in conjunction with Raleigh International Raceway promote Rallycross as an achievable sport for the motoring enthusiast.

Although the sport will take time to re-invent, our achievements to date are encouraging for the sport of Rallycross in Australia.

Driver Profiles

Dave Morrow

Dave started his career in 1965 competing in a Hillclimb driving a Mini Cooper. He competed the first time at Raleigh Raceway in a Rallycross in 1983 driving a Datsun 1600.

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Dave has held the fastest lap time at Raleigh on a full circuit for quite some time, recording a time of 41.641, set in 1 June 2008.

During his motor sport career Dave owned a 1965 Nota Mac which he drove in Hillclimbs and racing in the late 1960’s.

Dave sold this car to purchase a house and in later years he had the opportunity to buy it back and still owns it today.

Today Dave is living in the local area of Coffs Harbour and is still competing in Hillclimbs and Historic Racing.

Dave along with Bob Watson will be guests of honour at the Official Opening of the Rallycross circuit at Raleigh Raceway on 26 February 2016.

Bob Watson

Stirling Moss became my hero and still is. Seeing the cars leave Sydney on the first Redex Trial in 1963 was also a huge influence.

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My first Austin Seven (1928 model) was purchased using money earned from a part time job working in a milk bar after school, and cost the princely sum of seventeen pounds ten shillings ($35). I joined the Austin Seven Club and could now participate in the basic forms of motor sport, motorkhanas and autocrosses.

At sixteen years of age, myself and friends were unlicensed, driving unregistered unroadworthy vehicles (no lights, no windscreen, no mudguards) on public roads, it was fairly amazing to get away with it.

Although still not old enough for a driving licence it was permissible to drive in car club events on private property or navigate in rallies. One of my most treasured trophies is a pewter tankard with the inscription: “Beginners Trial 1958 First Beginner – Bob Watson.

A bonus from belonging to the Austin Seven Club and working on the trackside radios at Phillip Island was after Saturday practice driver Lou Molina, one of a group of Melbourne restaurateurs known as the “Spaghetti Mafia” would put on a lavish BBQ in the pits for all the drivers and officials at his own expense.

Rallycross

“Usually it was Peter Brock and me on the front row of the grid for the final at Calder and the tension was horrific”. The Calder meetings were televised live for three hours on Sunday afternoon to a large national audience. Sponsors included Coca Cola and later Motorcraft.

I used the R8 Gordini from the 1970 Victorian Rally Championship season, stripped out to reduce weight. Our main opposition was the late Peter Brock in a Holden Dealer Team supercharged lightweight Torana XU1, Frank Kilfoyle (occasionally replaced by Allan Moffat) in a Ford backed lightweight Lotus Cortina rally car, Evan Green in a British Leyland sponsored lightweight Austin 1800 and Bruce Harris in a stripped out ex London to Sydney marathon Porsche 911.

Rallycross was usually run in wet and slippery conditions because the track was watered to keep the dust down. This suited our R8 Gordini with is good traction and rear weight bias. The start was crucial, because if you were behind, you were pelted by stones, mud and opaque water, making visibility minimal.

There was nothing in the Rallycross rules to stop the fitment of twin rear wheels as used on trucks so that is what they did to Brock’s Torana. Naturally with four rear tyres the traction improved immensely and with the extra power being put to the ground the Torana became much more difficult to beat.

As well as winning a number of rounds at Calder Rallycross, we also won the first Catalina Park Rallycross at Katoomba in New South Wales.

In 1973 we changed cars from the Renault R8 to an R12, similarly light-weighted and with a supercharged R16TS engine giving around 200 horsepower. The R12 was front wheel drive, which presented a problem finding traction off the start line, but I had some exciting battles with Brock.

Calder and Catalina were the only venues to fully support Rallycross.

Because there was a bit of push and shove in the races and everything was covered in mud anyway, the required bodywork standards were not high, so more money could be spent making the cars faster and more entertaining.

The gradual infiltration of football into television pushed Rallycross off the small screen, and once the TV coverage was lost the sport declined. “I believe there is still a huge opportunity for rallycross in Australia”. With the success of the sport in the UK, Europe and America it is drawing big crowds and full factory participation with top rally drivers. Rallycross is long overdue for a return to Australia, and the promotors of Rallycross at Raleigh Park are to be congratulated in leading the way.

Bob Watson along with Dave Morrow will be guests of honour at the Official Opening of the Rallycross circuit at Raleigh Raceway on 26 February 2016.

Career Highlights

1964 – Winner of Akademos Rally – Holden – Rally

1968 – Winner Victorian Championship – Holden

1968 – Winner, Sandown Three Hour touring car race Holden Monaro

1968 – 3rd outright – Bathurst – private entry – Holden Monaro

1968 – Winner, Victorian Rally Campionship Holden V8

1969 – Winner Victorian Championship – Renault R16TS

1970 – Winner 10 Championship events in one season, including Australian and Victoria Rally Championships and the Alpine Rally – Renault R8 Gordini